Although it seems the choice for QS is ok (no hard racing and lots of altitude training), I wonder if he couldn't have contacted Polartec and signed for them. If he wants to develop as a GC rider, why not join the theam of Contador and get him as teacher, all the more Contador wants to move up with his team so...

lol, come on. You are completely losing track of the camera angle and depth perception. These guys are riding behind him, not next to him. He is also spitting towards the ground, not towards them. It's possible some of it caught Mayrhofer, but to me, this doesn't look intentional at all. Clumsy, sure.

Der Effe wrote:As his spokesperson, you should pay closer attention to the screen logic. Remco might not sign your pyjamas next time!

lol, come on. You are completely losing track of the camera angle and depth perception. These guys are riding behind him, not next to him. He is also spitting towards the ground, not towards them. It's possible some of it caught Mayrhofer, but to me, this doesn't look intentional at all. Clumsy, sure.

It definitely hit Mayrhofer, you see him turning his head away... It wasn't very neat of Evenepoel but it doesn't look intentional.

Alexandre B. wrote:He'll start at San Juan.Facing the Argentinians mythical climbers will be tough.

There usually is one mountain stage and one short timetrial (12-16km). If he manages to adapt within the peloton, he could do rather well here. Top 15-20 should be possible if he actually wants to go for a result. Bernal finished 9th in 2017, when he was exactly one year older.

Anyone who isn’t a 5-year old or a jingoistic knucklehead knows there are so many nuances to be placed at his results as a junior, that fading into anomynity seems far more feasible than the jibber-jabber the Belgian press has been spreading around. This doesn’t mean he will definitely fail, but message boards would be little redundant if we only spoke about what is certain.

Der Effe wrote:Anyone who isn’t a 5-year old or a jingoistic knucklehead knows there are so many nuances to be placed at his results as a junior, that fading into anomynity seems far more feasible than the jibber-jabber the Belgian press has been spreading around. This doesn’t mean he will definitely fail, but message boards would be little redundant if we only spoke about what is certain.

What exactly has the Belgian press been saying? The comparison to Merckx can be reduced to Merckx's own comments, and the topic title in this topic (which wasn't even started by a Belgian). It has been repeated ad nauseam that there is a long way to go and many things can go wrong. And because you want to provide a counter weight, instead of going by actual arguments, posting facts, you just decided to just start trolling instead. Why not discuss the nuances you mentioned, for the sake of argument? Why the toxic hit & run posts? Nobody is forcing you to read the topic.

Let me give some arguments why he just might not fade into obscurity (or anominity as you call it).1/ He's mentally strong: Never panicked after the crash at the WC, dealt with the huge pressure of being the "only" contender. Just like at the Euro's and nationals. And basically every other race he entered.2/ Plenty of room for improvement: He doesn't ride economically at all, lots to be gained there. He doesn't ride tactically either. He still is carrying unnecessary football muscle, upper body weight etc. Doesn't live like a pro athlete yet. He's only 18.3/ Lab tests: he's already able to push the watts and is able to do this for longer periods, his Vo2max is up there (with room for improvent by losing some weight). 3/ He's incredibly consistent throughout the entire season: meaning his training is not a hurdle (read the interview with his trainer about 10 pages down, other riders would not be able to follow his training schedule without suffering from overtraining). Meaning he can improve if he focusses on one or two goals per year. 4/ His current level already puts him at the level among the best U23, as shown by ITT and climbing data.

Apparently he will ride the Chrono des Nations (ITT) later this month as well.

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Sagan on Evenepoel: "He's really very good. I wish him a bright future. Especially mentally, taking the next step to the pros can be difficult. When you're used to winning everywhere easily, and suddenly it becomes very hard, then you start to think. I'm curious to see how he evolves.

He's riding Chrono des Nations this Sunday, an ITT of 26 kilometers. The first part of the course is the exact same as the U23's (who do a total of 33 kilometers) and the pros (46 kilometers). Of course, in the end it's all worthless because they will have to calculate their performances differently and because of the obvious gear restrictions, but it'll be fun to see how Remco's intermediate time will stand between the likes of Toft Madsen, Bjerg, Nibali, Latour, Ganna and so on.

DNP-Old wrote:He's riding Chrono des Nations this Sunday, an ITT of 26 kilometers. The first part of the course is the exact same as the U23's (who do a total of 33 kilometers) and the pros (46 kilometers). Of course, in the end it's all worthless because they will have to calculate their performances differently and because of the obvious gear restrictions, but it'll be fun to see how Remco's intermediate time will stand between the likes of Toft Madsen, Bjerg, Nibali, Latour, Ganna and so on.